Stairway



June 14, 1932. A, J, HALL 1,862,958

STAIHWAY Filed April 4, 1927 um/mica j/WM 0191113 Patented June 14, 1932UNITED STATES .AKOS J. HALL, or CLEVELAND, OHIO STLAIRWAY Applicationfiled April 4, 1927. Serial No. 180,762.

My invention relates to structures and to methods of structure ofstairways including platforms and other structures which may or may notform a necessary or convenient part of Stairways.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a stairway structurewhich is simple and inexpensive of structure; in which'the individualmembers thereof can be made with a minimum of expense; in which theindividual members can be assembled with a minimum of expense; in whichtheindividual members are rigidly connected. together; in which therigid connection mentioned can be attained with a minimum of expense;and in which the stairway forms a rigid unit when the members thereofare assembled. Other objects will appear, or become apparent or obvious,or will suggest themselves during the description of the structure shownin the accompanying drawing.

In order to aid in the understanding of my invention, I have embodiedthe same in a certain stairway structure, selected to illustrate myinvention, and have shown this particular structure in the accompanyingdrawing in which Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of a portion of astairway structure embodying the features of my invention and shows aportion of a stairs and a portion of a platform associated with thestairs and a poured floor on the platform and on the tread and riserelements.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the tread and riser elements ormembers of Fig. l and also shows portions of adjacent tread and riserelements'as related thereto and also shows a stringer on one end of thetread and riser element and spot welded thereon.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of a portion of the platform element of Fig.1 and shows the lugs on the floor supporting plate extending through theframe member and the poured floor of the platform resting on the plateand confined by a frame member.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a typical rivetedor upset joint betweenmembers of the stairway structure of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a typical filled in joint betweenmembersof the stairway structure of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theviews.

The stairway shown in the accompanying drawing has the platform elementA, the stair element B, and the tread and riser elements C.

The beams or frame members of the element A have the holes 11 punchedthrough the webs thereof and the beams or floor members 12 have the lugs13 extending longitudinally outward from the ends thereof and throughthe corresponding ones of the holes 11. The beam or frame elements 10and 12 are made of channel section material in the present instance.

The fioor supporting element for the element A comprises the plate 14which has the lugs 15 on edges thereof and extending through the holes16 provided in the webs of the beams 10 and 12. The manner of fixing thelugs in the holes and connecting the elements will appear presently.

The floor 17, a poured floor in the present instance, rests on the plate1 1 and is confined laterally by the frame members 10 and 12.

The stringers 18 of the element B, of channel section material in thepresent instance, have the holes 19 through the webs thereof and mayhave any necessary or convenient means for attaching the same to theelement A as well as to other elements associated with the stairway.

Each of the elements 0 comprises a unit including one tread and oneriser portion of the stairs and is formed of one piece of sheet materialin the present instance. 7

The upper end of each riser portion 20 is formed with the gutter orgroove 21 opening inwardly of the stairs, the outer end 22 of each treadportion 23 rests on the wall 24 of the gutter 21. 7

Each of the tread and riser elements has the lugs 25 extending from thelongitudinal ends of the tread and of the riser portions thereof andextending through the corresponding ones of the holes 19.

The floors 26, poured floors in the present instance, rest on the treadportions of the elements 0 and each is confined laterally by the riserportion thereof and by the stringers and by the gutter of the next lowerone of the riser portions. The gutter or groove formation on the upperend of the riser portions also confines the floors 26 on the treadportions and prevents the same from being raised off of the treadportions.

In order to provide a rigid stairway structure in the most economicalmanner without the use of bolts or rivets or equivalent means added tothe essential elements of stairways and the consequent necessity oflaying out holes and other time consuming operations and to enhance theappearance of stairways, I provide the mentioned holes and lugs on themembers and provide a rigid and complete connection between the walls ofthe holes and the sides of the lugs as well as between other portions ofmembers of the stairway.

Various means and methods may be employed to attain my connectionsmentioned.

One manner of rigidly connecting members of stairway structures is toupset or rivet the lugs in the holes so that the sides of the lugscontact the walls of the holes as shown in Fig. 4 for instance. Thissort of joint is far superior to lugs bent against the webs or againstother members of stair structures not only in economy of time andexpense in assembling such structures but also in providing a more rigidand more lasting and more substantial stairway structure.

Another manner of rigidly connecting members of stairway structures 1sto weld, electrically or otherwise, or otherwlse molecularly unitingportions of members to portions of other members of stairway structures.

Although the ends 22 of the tread portions rest on the walls 24 of theriser portions and thereby support the floors 26 and the weight thereon,I weld or otherwise unite the ends 22 to the walls 24:, by spot weld orby continuous weld, and thereby not only attain a more rigid structurebut also attain such a rigid structure in the most economical manner.

Instead of the riveting or upsetting mentioned above, I may expand thelugs in the holes either by expanding the material of the lugs in theholes or by adding material between the lugs and the walls of the holes.This can be attained economically by means of heat produced electricallyor otherwise. I may apply heat and force to expand the lugs against thewalls of the holes and may increase the heat sufficiently to weld thelugs onto the walls of the holes. I may not expand the material of thelugs and introduce or add material into the spaces between the sides ofthe lugs and the walls of the holes by means of heat and force orotherwise and increase the heat sufficiently to weld the added materialto the lugs and to the walls of the holes as shown in Fig. 5 forinstance.

As a further expedient to attain a rigid structure in the mosteconomical manner, I may also rigidly connect contacting portions ofmembers by welding, electrically or otherwise, or by other means. Thismay be done by spot welding or other equivalent means or by a continuousweld or other continuous attaching or connecting means. In the presentinstance, the spot welds 27 rigidly connect the elements C to thestringers of the elements B and the spot welds 28 rigidly connect theplate 14 to the beams 10 and 12.

The structure shown and described attains a rigid stairway structure inan economical manner; eliminates all bolts and rivets and analogousmeans; eliminates the necessity of laying out bolt or rivet or analogousholes; permits the assembling of the structure in less time thanpreviously since there are no bolts to tighten nor holes to be fittedand the welding or the equivalent operation is performed in much lesstime than previously; eliminates the unsightly bolt or rivet heads ornuts on the outside of the stairway; and attains a more rigid and morelasting structure than a structure built in the old manner.

The structure shown and described is also very economical in theformation of the parts thereof as well as in the assembling of theparts. The frame members have the necessary holes punched through themin simple punching operations and the tread and riser elements, as wellas some of the frame elements, have the lugs formed thereon while theends thereof are cut to proper lengths. When assembling the parts, it isonly necessary to set the parts against each other with the lugsextending through the corresponding holes. This assembling not onlylocates all of the parts in their proper positions but also retains themin those positions since the lugs interlock the parts. The riveting orthe upsetting or the welding or other similar or analogous operation canthen be performed easily and conveniently and without danger of any ofthe parts shifting out of position and without danger of the parts noteing rigidly connected in proper position.

I am aware that changes can be made in the structure as well as in thearrangement of the elements as shown and described as well as in themethod of procedure as shown and described within the scope of theappended claims; therefore, without limiting myself to the precisestructure and arrangement of the elements as shown and described nor tothe precise method set forth,

I claim 1. A stairway including a stair including opposite stringershaving spaced holes through the webs thereof, step elements between saidstringers and having lugs on the longitudinal ends thereof, of lesscross-sectional size than the size of said holes, spaced incorrespondence with said holes and extending through the correspondingones of said holes, and filler material between sides of said lugs andwalls of the corresponding holes.

2. A stairway including a stair including opposite stringers havingspaced holes through the Webs thereof, step elements between saidstringers and having lugs on the longitudinal ends thereof, of lesscr0ss-sectional size than the size of said holes, spaced incorrespondence with said holes and extending through the correspondingones of said holes, and filler material between sides of said lugs andwalls of the corresponding holes and welded thereto.

3. A joint structure for stairways comprising a member having a holethrough the same, a member having a lug of less crosssectional size thanthe size of said hole extending through said hole, and filler materialbetween sides of said lug and walls of said hole.

4. A joint structure for stairways comprising a member having a holethrough the same, a member having a lug of less crosssectional size thanthe size of said hole ex,-

tending through said hole, and filler material between sides of said lugand walls of said hole and welded thereto.

In testimony of the foregoing I aflix my signature.

AKOS J. HALL.

